Berry says Calvillo’s stats an indictment of all offensive players

Montreal Alouettes quarterback Anthony Calvillo hands off to runningback Brandon Whitaker as they face the Edmonton Eskimos during first quarter CFL football action Thursday, July 25, 2013 in Montreal.

Photograph by: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson
, Canada.com

REGINA — In a transient league consisting of eight teams, a coach — not to mention players — eventually become immune to homecomings and playing their former teams.

And so it is for Doug Berry, the man now in charge of the Alouettes‘ offence, who has returned to Saskatchewan this weekend for the first time since he, and head coach Greg Marshall, were fired eight games into the 2011 season. The Roughriders were 1-7 at the time.

Berry was the offensive co-ordinator and assistant head coach of that team. Earlier this season, he returned to Winnipeg — a team he coached for three seasons before being fired.

“Once you’ve done it once, you kind of become callous to the whole situation. This, for me, is no different than any other game,” sad Berry, who returned to the Als as the senior adviser to former head coach Dan Hawkins. With Hawkins’s firing two weeks ago, Berry now oversees Montreal’s offence.

“I’ve been with three teams. Many other coaches have been with three or more teams. Same with the players,” Berry said. “You can’t hold grudges. You move on. You change colours overnight.

“I missed the CFL. Let’s leave it at that.”

The Riders went to the Grey Cup in 2010 under head coach Ken Miller, losing to Montreal for a second consecutive season. Marshall replaced Miller the following year, but the team struggled early. Eventually, a move became inevitable.

“It was a bad year. Doug did a good job here,” Saskatchewan general manager Brendan Taman said in a text message to The Gazette on Friday.

That, or course, is ancient history now for Berry. He has far more pressing issues to be concerned with heading into Saturday afternoon’s game against the Riders at Mosaic Stadium.

The Als’ offence has been brutal this season under quarterback Anthony Calvillo. Montreal is last in touchdowns, total offence, passing and first downs. Predictably, the Als have punted more than any team while fumbling a league-leading 10 times.

Calvillo, who turns 41 next week, appears particularly frustrated, frequently gesticulating his displeasure on the field, in plain view of teammates and spectators. Through six games, he has passed for a modest 1,237 yards, yet to hit the 300-yard mark in a game. He has thrown almost as many interceptions, five, as he has touchdowns — six.

“I don’t care about his stats,” Berry maintained. “I’d be concerned with his play if it was terrible. Everybody makes the numbers, it’s not just one guy. There are eleven others contributing.

“I think Anthony’s feeling much more comfortable now with what we’re doing compared to where we were at the beginning of the season. Our goal is to get him to a relatively, mostly comfort zone.”

By now it has become quite apparent the shambles this team was in under Hawkins. Where the Als might have practised 15 offensive plays during a workout, that total has increased exponentially. Indeed, Berry and offensive co-ordinator Mike Miller introduced so many new plays recently, the players were overwhelmed, predictably mistake-prone.

“We’re probably right now where we should have been coming out of training camp,” GM and head coach Jim Popp revealed, making a startling revelation. “It surely seems like it’s going in the right direction. I hope it starts taking off.

“The process is much broader now. We can pick and choose going into a game. Eventually, it’s got to start and kick in and start showing up.”

While the Als are in a weak East Division, they run the risk of falling too far behind Toronto — unless they start winning. Not only is Montreal 2-4, they’re facing a strong Riders team that lost for the first time this season last week, at Calgary. Then the Als have a short week, returning home to meet British Columbia on Thursday, Montreal already having lost three of four games at Molson Stadium.

Instead of introducing any more new plays, Berry and Miller have advised the players to master the ones already implemented. Whether those schemes can now be perfected, and how quickly, will ultimately determine whether the Als escape this quagmire.

“There’s been no bickering or fighting,” Calvillo said. “There’s still trust and belief we can get the job done. To me, that’s a great sign.

“I’m never going to quit,” he added. “I’m going to keep fighting to help this team win. The talent’s definitely there. We just haven’t proven to ourselves that we can do it yet. But we have the staff in position to get us to play better.”

Calvillo admits he has heard the whispers and criticism that he’s no longer capable of playing well, that age finally has overcome him, eroding his talents. As always, Calvillo said his future will be determined at season’s end. He remains under contract through 2014.

“If I was to end my season today, that (retirement) might be the case,” he revealed. “But we still have a long season to go.”

Story Tools

Montreal Alouettes quarterback Anthony Calvillo hands off to runningback Brandon Whitaker as they face the Edmonton Eskimos during first quarter CFL football action Thursday, July 25, 2013 in Montreal.

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.